Brain Chip Gives Paralyzed Man Ability to Play Guitar Hero
Ian Burkhart was only 19 when the accident happened. He had been swimming in the Outer Banks with some buddies when a wave caught him and hurled him into a sandbar, leaving him paralyzed from the neck down. But he always held out hope that medical science would one day be able to help him regain enough movement to become more independent.
That day has finally arrived.
Scientists reported Wednesday in the journal Nature that they have been able to implant a chip in Burkhart’s brain that sends signals to an array of 130 electrodes embedded in a sleeve he wears on his arm that has given him the ability to move his hand with significant accuracy. Holding a glass with water and pouring it out. Using a stick to stir the contents of a jar. Playing Guitar Hero. Swiping a credit card.
These are the movements of mundane, daily life that many of us take for granted. But for Burkhart it’s nothing short of a miracle.
More: Brain chip gives paralyzed man ability to play Guitar Hero